Our Village Idiot
by sorahart
Summary: In an effort to better understand The Flash's role, Orion asks Justice Leauge members to share their thoughts on Wally West.


**A/N: I wrote this story after learning that Wally West isn't going to be used in the upcoming reboot of DC Comics. I started to wonder what the world would be like without him, and that made me think about Wally's role in the Justice League, and how the others view him. So this is a one shot based on what I came up with!**

Orion's footsteps pounded through the hallway of the JLA Watchtower, his broken arm held in a sling. He had been wounded during a battle with Darkseid, and was now healing up in the Watchtower. One of the maintenance robots had just mopped up the hallway, and the floor was still wet. Orion took notice of this just as The Flash came speeding around the corner, smashed right into the wet floor sign, spun out and crashed into Orion's broken arm!

"Idiot!" Orion screamed, wincing in pain as he readjusted the sling.

"Oh! Dude I am so sorry!" The speedster rattled off. He offered Orion his hand to help him up, but it was smacked away and the warrior stood on his own.

"Did you not see the sign?" Orion demanded, pointing to the fallen wet floor sign.

"It's kind of hard to read after you've broken the sound barrier." Wally shrugged.

"Where were you going in the first place?"

"Well… I heard a rumor about tacos in the cafeteria and-"

"Unbelievable." Orion shook his head and shoved past the speedster. Of all the heroes on Earth, Wally West was the one who Orion liked the least. He was immature, cocky, unfocused, undisciplined, and had a crippling inability to take anything seriously. And most infuriating of all is that his only power is running fast! In Orion's eyes, the Flash was useless. Nothing more than a hindrance to any mission, a pile of dead weight in a flashy orange suit.

And yet, for some inconceivable reason, everyone seemed to _like _him. Orion sighed and looked down the hall. He needed something to kill time while he healed, anyway. So he decided he might as well investigate.

**-Wonder Woman-**

"How's your arm doing?" Diana asked while lifting two of her specialized weights in the training room.

"It will heal." Orion acknowledged. "But while I am here, I have a question to ask you."

"Ok."

"The Flash, Wally..."

"What about him?"

"Why is he here?"

"I- I'm not sure I understand the question." Diana frowned.

"What purpose does he serve among the team? Superman also has super speed, and he is infinitely more professional. So why has Wally West been kept around?"

"Ah…" Diana breathed and set down the weights, looking at Orion with a smile. "That's an easy one. Wally gives up hope."

"Hope…?"

"At his core, Wally is really just an average guy. He doesn't have a ton of money, he doesn't have a glamorous job, and like you said, he isn't really the most powerful of us either. But in a way, that's what makes him the strongest of us."

"I do not understand."

"He's never without a smile. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he doesn't really care what anybody thinks of it. He is who is; a funny, laid back, semi-cool guy. And sure his inability to be serious is annoying sometimes, but you think of Wally as a regular guy, and you see life beat him down, and then you see him laugh in the face of danger… and its inspiring. Wally West won't ever give up, and I guess, in a way… it's something for the rest of us to aspire to. No matter how bad things get, Wally never forgets to see the bright side. With him, the glass is always half full… and that's more than enough. Without Wally on our side, we'd have lost hope a thousand times. And that's why we need him."

"I see..." Orion breathed. "Hope."

**-Superman-**

"Orion, hi." Superman greeted, remaining friendly as usual.

"Hello Superman." Orion returned dryly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Curious."

"Curious? About what?"

"Wally West. I am simply trying to understand his… purpose. So far what I have gathered is that he instills hope in others, but this answer confuses me further… because is that not your role? I have been told countless times how you are a symbol of hope. So what is Wally? Is he simply more encouraging than you, or-"

"Do you have a best friend, Orion?" Superman interrupted.

"No. I have few friends as it is, far too few to form a hierarchy." Orion answered.

"Well Wally West is everyone's best friend." Superman smiled. "No matter who you are, Wally is a person you can always relate to. Someone who is always willing to listen, and who will crack jokes until you feel better, even if he has to completely humiliate himself. Have you ever seen him in his city? There's a reason he has so many fans. He connects with them, and he doesn't even try to. Wally connects with everyone; it's just natural to him. Even the villains he fights, he'll make small talk with them in the middle of a battle! In fact, some of those rogues, sometimes I think they commit crimes just to see him. Because whether you like it or not, Wally is your friend. And he always will be."

"Friendship? I hardly see how that contributes to battle."

"Because a friend is someone to fight for." Superman smiled. "And with Wally on our side, we'll never stop fighting."

**-Hawkgirl and Green Lantern- **

Friendship? Hope? It still didn't make any sense to Orion. Sure they were things to fight for, but so were honor, courage, and valor… all things that Wally West did not seem to posses. So now he sought out Shayera Hol and John Stewart, hoping the two of them could shed a little light on the situation. From what he had observed, the two of them become has fed up with the speedster as himself, so perhaps they could provide a more logical standpoint, rather than emotional.

He found them in John's room, apparently having a talk. Orion had picked up on the romance between the two, but at the moment that was not his concern. "May I come in?" He asked from the doorway.

"I guess." Shayera groaned, sounding like he had interrupted something.

"What's up?" John asked.

"I wanted to ask you both something. Why do you all continue to put up with The Flash?"

"Wally?" John raised an eyebrow.

"He must be as irritating to you as he is to me. His constant fooling around, his lack of serious interest… why does everyone seem to flock to him? I wish to understand."

"Wally is our village idiot. And every village needs one." John said simply.

"Exactly." Shayera nodded with a grin. "Wally… he's kind of like an annoying little brother. Sure he bugs you, and sometimes you really just don't want him around. But you've got to love him. You can't _not_ love him. And you want to protect him. I guess he's motivation… if you're ever wondering why you're on the battlefield, look at Wally and you'll remember… to protect the people you love."

Without another word, Orion stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Love? Hope? Friendship? All such immaterial, illogical things! Orion wanted just one sensible, logical part for Wally to play in the Justice League. It seemed to him like the team would function just as well without Wally around. In his mind, every soldier should have an assignment. What was Wally's? To make friends and have people love him? It made no sense at all.

"You won't understand if you think about it that way." J'onn's voice interrupted.

"What?" Orion looked to the Martian.

"I apologize, I read your mind. But I can tell you that you won't find a logical, strategic reason why Wally is on this team. Because there isn't one. Wally is the Justice League's emotional core, and therefore you will only find emotional answers."

"I see…"

"Without Wally, this team would have fallen apart long ago. To put it in Earthly terms… he is the glue that holds the Justice League together. Because without Wally, we would have forgotten why we exist."

"I think I'm beginning to understand…" Orion said. "He knows he plays the fool. Because it keeps him human. All of you, human."

"I am glad that I could help." J'onn nodded, and then disappeared.

Orion pondered this for a moment. There was still one person he wanted to ask. One person who always had the answers.

**-Batman-**

"Flash?" The dark knight said absently from in front of his computer screen.

"Yes. I was simply wondering what you thought of him." Orion responded.

"Wally is an idiot. But he knows he's an idiot, and that's why he is so good at it."

"I… am still a bit confused." Orion sighed.

"Do you know where Wally is right now?"

"No."

"He's at an orphanage, reading to children. After that he'll go to a nursing home. Then he will probably find homeless people on the street and try to help them out."

"Why?"

"That's just the thing. Why?" Batman stood up and looked Orion in the eyes. "No one told Wally to sit in a nursing home and talk to the elderly. No one asked Wally to take money out of his own pocket, and buy food for the homeless. No one told him to take time out of his day to play with orphaned children, or stop on the side of the road to help a teenager with car trouble. Wally was never told that he had to be the perfect father, the best friend, or the perfect citizen. Wally just does these things, not because he has to but because he truly, genuinely wants to. Because that's just his nature. Wally is just a genuinely good person, and the world could use more men like him. He doesn't want money, he doesn't care. And he would certainly never ask anything in return for the good he does. The truth is, I envy Wally."

"Envy him?"

"Yes. I wish that I could love something… just one thing… as much as Wally loves everything. Think about it this way; Wally could walk down the street, smile at everyone, and look at their noses. But then he would go home, and pay no attention to his own nose. Because why would he ever focus on his own nose, when there are many other noses out there to see? That's how Wally thinks about everything. He never wastes a minute on himself, because everyone else matters more to him. That's what I think of Wally."

"Thank you." Orion said after a moment of contemplation. "I think I understand it now. He is not in the Justice League because he is The Flash; he is in the Justice League because he is Wally West. And because of who that is."

Orion left Batman's room and found J'onn again.

"What is it?" The Martian asked.

"I'd like you to beam me to whatever orphanage The Flash is at. I need to apologize to him. And… and I need to thank him."

"Thank him for what?"

"For giving me something to aspire to."


End file.
